Flames of Darkness
by Lady Artimes Blaine
Summary: In the realm of crime solving, the names of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are legendary. Very soon it will be revealed that there is not one crime solving duo but two. How will the Baker Street boys contend with the unusual team of Melody Frost and Artimes Blaine? What secrets do they hold and why does Melody guard Artimes so fiercely? Can Sherlock save Artz from her dark past?
1. Prologue: Shadows and Flames

Lady Artz: Howdy folks! This will look very familiar because I'm revamping my story Deduction and Deception. Need to make a few modifications and some much needed corrections. Plus, I haven't been in a very good writing mood because I'm so busy with my job. So without further ado, the prologue of Flames of Darkness.

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Prologue: Shadows and Flames

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Screams…screams of pain, of agony, of sorrow, and of despair. The screaming was so loud and every change in pitch or volume made her wince. She screwed her eyes shut, her hands clutching her head. She would be the one screaming soon. He was saving her for last. Why?

A part of her understood why she was last. He wanted to break her completely; to shatter her mind, her heart, and her very soul. She was the biggest threat to him, the person in which he most feared. She was the one who saw, who understood without even trying. Why?

Footsteps…he was coming. The door opened and she was blinded. The man before her was completely backlit, his form dark and menacing. The only clear feature was his eyes. They were deep brown, so dark that they were almost black. He smiled at her and her stomach churned. Why?

Pain…so much pain and in so many different ways; physical, emotional, and mental. He was toying with her, playing with her, and torturing her. What did she do to deserve this? Nothing, she had done nothing. She had only been born different…unique. Why?

She cried, her own screams echoing in her ears. Her body was in agony, a never ending cycle of pain. She was so tired. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts, so many images, and so many memories that were nothing but lies. Her mind could not stop and was speeding towards its doom. Why?

Her heart was wailing, her very soul spilling forth and yet she did not yield. Her heart was cracking, but it refused to shatter. She would not give in. He wanted her to give up, to succumb to his darkness and shatter like glass. She couldn't give him what he wanted. Why?

She stared into the eyes of the man who had betrayed her, her friends, and her family. He took everything from her and yet she stayed true to her heart. She was strong and he could not break her. Why?

He stood backlit in the doorway once more, his anger raging like a storm in his eyes. He had failed to break her so he left. His departure was followed by flames as they licked at the doorway, their red orange light dancing across her darkened vision. Everything was burning around her. The flames crawled their way towards her as her eyes began to water. It hurt to breathe, to think, to feel, to move. Why?

Darkness, so much darkness yet she still existed. She had been saved from the flame's embrace. She had survived where others had fallen. She made a promise to herself. She would stay true to her heart and be the light he feared. She would never be like him. Why?

She was the warrior whose heart beated with ancient ideals. Honor, nobility, valor, kindness, compassion, loyalty and love. She would let her light shine in a world of darkness. She would dispel the shadows of hatred and douse the flames of rage. Why…because she could.

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Lady Artz: There you have it. Prologue: Shadows and Flames is complete! Was that cool or what?! This turned out way better than I thought it would. *grins* Coming Soon: Chapter One: Suspicious Behavior! Stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 1: Suspicious Behavior

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome back to Flames of Darkness! I know that my old readers are like 'Hey! You didn't change anything!'. In actuality, I did. The prologue was only slightly modified. Once you get deeper into the story, you'll see more changes and maybe some stuff will be added as well. No harm in padding the description a bit.

Oh and I forgot to do the disclaimer again. *ahem* I do not own BBC's Sherlock or anything I make references to.

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Chapter One: Suspicious Behavior

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Within the living room of 221B Baker Street, the brilliant consultant detective, Sherlock Holmes, sat in his chair. He was wearing a plain T shirt, pajama pants, and his robe. He drummed his fingers on the arm rests, his body language indicating his extreme frustration.

Army doctor, John Watson, sat in his chair, opposite of the detective, reading the newspaper and trying desperately to ignore his sulking flat mate. After another ten minutes of the constant drumming, the former military man sighed heavily, folded his paper, and plopped it on the table to his right. He was going to regret asking this question, but if he didn't, a far greater mishap could occur.

"What's wrong?" He asked already knowing the answer.

The signs were becoming increasingly obvious and there was no shadow of doubt in the doctor's mind that today was not going to end well. He certainly hoped the flat could survive his flat mate's most recent bout of boredom. The wall still sported a smiley face carved from bullets from the last time.

"Bored." Sherlock stated flatly, not even sparing him a glance.

John scowled at him slightly, more than frustrated with the detective's childish mannerisms.

"You just solved a case twenty minutes ago." He commented trying to keep his growing irritation in check.

"That was ages ago! When's the next one?" The detective whined bringing his feet onto the chair and curling around himself.

John inwardly rolled his eyes. He saw another series of experiments in his near future. He prayed to God that he would not be involved with said experiments and get drugged again. He also hoped that his flat mate could wait long enough for the army doctor to replace their currently empty fire extinguisher.

"You could always call Lestrade. Maybe he has a case." He suggested trying to put off the inevitable.

The detective's eyes lit up and he half bolted, half leaped out of his chair and across the room. John barely managed to suppress an eye roll at his flat mate's ridiculous antics. Sherlock grabbed his mobile phone and quickly dialed the detective inspector.

"Lestrade." The inspector stated answering the call, having obviously not looked at the caller ID first.

"What do you have for me?" The detective demanded not bothering with formalities or 'chit chat'.

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone.

"Well?" The detective snapped quickly losing what little patience he had.

"Um…Sherlock…uh…we have everything currently sorted for right now." Lestrade answered clearly not speaking the truth.

"You're lying. Your hesitancy means you are working on a particularly trying case. The exhaustion of your tone means you are at your wit's end so I will ask again. What do you have for me?" The detective deduced his tone authoritative.

There was another pause.

"Greg, we need you. Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were on the phone. I'll come back later..." A woman's voice said in the background.

"Hold up. Just give me a second." Lestrade answered his voice muffled slightly, meaning he was speaking to the woman and not to the detective.

Sherlock frowned. The voice did not belong to Sergeant Donavon. This woman was soft spoken, polite, and she sounded genuinely kind. Who was she? Why was she there? What did she need Lestrade for? His mind was buzzing with countless questions and he didn't have nearly enough data to formulate a proper deduction.

"Who is that, Lestrade?" He asked both confused and highly irritated.

"Look Sherlock, I've got to go. We really don't need you. We've got this." The D.I. answered once again speaking into the phone.

"What are you hiding? Who's we? Lestrade?!" He demanded.

Silence was all that answered him before he heard the audible click of the call being terminated. He glared at his phone, trying to will the answers from the physically absent detective inspector. He was going to figure out what Lestrade was keeping from him.

In the mean time, he needed to find something to distract himself. He tossed the phone onto his desk before stomping off to the kitchen, his robe billowing out around him as he walked. He quickly pulled out an assortment of beakers and chemicals, lighting the burner along the way.

The army doctor groaned loudly in protest, but the consultant detective simply ignored him. Sherlock proceeded to set up his experiment and measuring out the chemicals he needed. His thoughts kept shifting back to his brief conversation with Lestrade. He shook his head slightly and refocused on his experiment.

Sherlock swirled a transparent chemical around the beaker before adding in a toe from a recent corpse that Molly had given him at his request. He set the beaker on top of the lit burner and waited for a result. Instead of focusing on his experiment like he needed to, his mind turned once again to the puzzle that had been presented to him.

Who was that woman? What power did she hold over the detective inspector? Why was she even at the Yard? She sounded too kind to actually be working for the police. A girlfriend perhaps? He immediately dismissed the idea. She had said 'we', meaning that she was with someone else. That could mean another detective or an officer, given the balance of probability. However, Lestrade had also said 'we' in a tone belying something on a more familiar level. So who was she with and why were they there? What did they need Lestrade for? It was unlike the detective inspector to simply hang up on him without some sort of an explanation.

He growled inwardly at the many gaps in his deductions. He simply didn't have enough data. He was so distracted by his inner musings that he didn't even notice when the beaker shattered, the chemical being ignited by the burner and setting the kitchen table ablaze..

"Christ, Sherlock!" John yelled running into the room and throwing a towel on the flames.

It took almost two minutes for the army doctor to pat out the flames, his red from frustration and exertion.

"Why didn't you use the fire extinguisher?" The detective asked confused by his flat mate's actions.

The army doctor gave him an incredulous look before storming out of the flat and down the stairs. Sherlock frowned, not understanding what he had said or done to incite his partner's ire this time. He shrugged briefly before returning his attention back to the mess that was in front of him. He cleaned up the botched experiment and went back to his former actions.

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Lady Artz: Voila! Chapter One Suspicious Behavior is complete! Yes, I did change some stuff in here too. I think added more than actually changed, but there is still some extra stuff. I think this is gonna be a semi drabble story until I get to the first proper episode. Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Two: The Women of Cannon Street! Stay Tuned!


	3. Chapter 2: The Women of Cannon Street

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome back to Flames of Darkness! Sherlock and John are about to get there first meeting with Melody and Artimes, commonly referred to as Mels and Artz. Yeah, yeah, I know. Mels is a loose reference to Doctor Who, but what can I say, I love Melody Pond! Yes, River Song is a badass, a very lovable badass and all the more reason for her to be reference here. *sticks tongue out in a childish manner* I admit it! I'm a Whovian...get over it!

Also much love and over flowing gratitude to all those who have faved, followed, and reviewed this story along with all of my other ones as well. You guys are totally awesome!

I won't be doing any Brief Recaps or Looking Forwards or even Sneak Previews in this story. Not until the chapters get longer.

Alright, enough of my incessant chin wagging! The game is on and so is the chapter!

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Chapter Two: The Women of Cannon Street

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Over the course of the next two months, there have been several more instances where Sherlock had been privy to his mystery woman's voice. He now firmly believed that she did not work in any official capacity for New Scotland Yard and she held the level of friendship in regards to Detective Inspector Lestrade.

There was, however, a slight flaw with this deduction. It was the presence of another woman's voice, also not Donovan. This one showed characteristics of an abnormally high intelligence level and had a sense of humor that was more sarcastic and sadistic than his own. He'd put it on par with his elder brother. All facts pointed to the conclusion that his mystery woman shared a very close relationship to the second woman.

He couldn't tell if that relationship was romantic or simply familial in nature. The second woman did not appear as frequently as the first one did, so he wasn't able to get a firm grasp on their relationship. He was also unsure as to why he felt so irritated about the possibility of his mystery woman being romantically involved with someone. He simply brushed it aside as nothing more than his obsessive nature in regards to puzzles and mysteries.

In the last two weeks, there have been several murders of a ritualistic type nature and the detective was well aware that Lestrade was at the point of exhaustion. Sherlock had made a point to keep track of communications going in and out of the Yard. As such, he was able to become apprised of a recent crime scene, barely an hour old, and he dragged John out of the flat and into a cab.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the place and they were now approaching the yellow police tape that blocked off the crime scene.

"What are you doing here, freak?" Donovan asked crossing her arms and clearly unhappy with their presence.

"I'm here to take a look." Sherlock replied unaffected by the sergeant's usual venomous tone.

"Lestrade didn't call _you_ so piss off." She responded making certain they couldn't cross.

It was an interesting choice of words and her emphasis implied that the detective inspector had called someone else to assist with the case, but who?

"May we at least say hello to Lestrade before we leave? We're here and all. I need to ask him about our upcoming pub night and he's been a little busy to answer his phone." John spoke up quickly, giving the very annoyed sergeant a disarming smile.

The detective kept his face passive, but inwardly he was smirking. John wanted to avoid another incident at the flat and had come up with a clever lie to help him do it. The army doctor was the perfect partner to solve crimes with.

Donovan's eyes narrowed as she thought it over then shook her head.

"No." She answered flatly, giving the consultant detective a pointed look.

Sherlock would have begun an argument to at least alert Lestrade to his presence, but he became very distracted as a crimson motorbike sped down the street, two riders atop, and came to a rather quick and abrupt stop just feet from the crime scene. Both riders were roughly the same height and were clearly female.

The passenger dismounted and removed her helmet. She had crimson hair down to her mid back and sapphire blue eyes. She wore black leather gloves, a blood red leather jacket, a white long sleeved shirt, a silver belt of overlapping discs, dark blue jeans that hugged her curves nicely, and black boots. She had a beige notebook sized bag hanging on her left side, the strap on her right shoulder.

The driver of the motorbike also dismounted and removed her helmet. She had chocolate brown hair about two inches shorter than the auburn's and her eyes were a deep violet color. She had a slightly less curvaceous frame than her companion, but only just. She wore black leather gloves, a black leather jacket, a dark purple buttoned down blouse, black dress pants, and black boots.

Both women twisted and twirled their hair up and clipped them into semi neat buns before walking over to the barrier created by the police tape.

"Sorry we were delayed, Sal. Traffic was a bitch." The red head apologized her tone laced with humor and a smile on her lips.

Sherlock's eyes widened marginally as he recognized her voice. How could he not? This woman was his mystery woman. He glanced towards the silent brunette who gave him a look that said 'If you value your manhood, you will not touch her.' She was obviously the second woman and was fiercely protective of the ginger haired woman. He sent a look back that said 'I have no intention of harming her. I am simply curious.'

The brunette's eyes narrowed a fraction, searching for something. She obviously found it when she turned her attention to the now smiling sergeant.

"Artimes, Melody. It's a pleasure to see you again. Please." Donovan responded looking first at the smiling red head then at the smirking brunette before lifting the police tape for them.

Why was the sergeant allowing them into the crime scene and not them? Just who were these women and why were they granted a higher priority of importance in regards to the case?

"You as well, Sally." The one identified as Melody replied.

Both women ducked under the tape, the brown haired woman pausing to sniff the air around the sergeant.

"Hm, apple cinnamon this time. Wise choice." She commented smiling slightly at Donovan.

His mystery woman chuckled softly, her sapphire eyes holding mild amusement and a tiny bit of mischief.

"Took me up on my advice, eh Sal? It suits you much better than Hawaiian coconut. I'm a green apple girl myself." Artimes commented.

The trio of women turned and began to walk away, continuing their conversation as they went.

"Who are you?" Sherlock asked his desperation for more data forcing the question out of his lips.

Melody looked back at him with a look that said 'Idiot' while the sergeant practically sneered at him. The crimson haired woman shook her head at her companions' behaviors. She turned back to the confused detective, a brilliant smile on her face.

"You're the Baker Street boys." She stated while pointing at the detective and the army doctor then gestured to herself and Melody, "We're the Cannon Street girls."

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Lady A: Tada! Chapter 2" The Women of Cannon Street is over! I bet you can spot the differences in this chapter! Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter 3: Baker vs. Cannon! Stay Tuned!


	4. Chapter 3: Baker vs Cannon

Lady Artz: Howdy folks and welcome back to Flames of Darkness! Sorry for not posting this sooner, but it came to my realization that I had skipped this chapter when importing it back to the Doc Manager. I was like 'Oh, my God! How embarrassing?!'. So here I am, trying to do the edit on this one. I've realized that this chapter is ridiculous short when you take out the Author's Rant. I really do like talking a lot. I'm as bad as the Doctor when it comes to running my gob at like ninety miles an hour.

Anyways, many thanks and love to all those who have faved, followed, and reviewed this story along with all of my other ones as well. you guys are totally awesome and get virtual cupcakes! I would give you gold stars but I stuck them to my roof to give me a starry night so I don't have to go outside into the bug infested outdoors to star gaze.

So without further ado, the game is on and so is the chapter!

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Chapter Three: Baker vs. Cannon

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"Artz." Melody called drawing the ginger's attention, "We have a case to solve."

Artimes beamed at her friend before her expression became thoughtful. She looked back at Sherlock and John, a question in her eyes. Sherlock immediately understood what she wanted. His mystery woman wanted John and himself to join her and Melody. He raised the police tape, allowing both men to pass underneath.

The crimson haired woman smiled and skipped over to her brown haired friend. Donovan was about to say something when Anderson walked out of the abandoned house where the body had been discovered.

"Ah ladies. Please be so kind and leave my crime scene intact." He requested flashing them a smile.

Artimes giggled and smiled at the forensics expert.

"Don't worry, Philip. We'll be gentle. I promise." Artimes commented winking, earning a chuckle from Melody, Anderson, and John.

Unfortunately, that's when the forensics expert noticed the consultant detective and the army doctor. Both he and Donovan glared at them. Sherlock watched in mild fascination as Artimes and Melody silently communicated with one another with their facial expressions and body movements. It was clear that they had known each other a long time and knew each other so well to accomplish the completely silent exchange. He saw Melody roll her eyes before apparently giving in to whatever the red head had requested.

"Don't worry about them, Philip. They are simply observing. If they contaminate any evidence, I'll slap them." Melody piped up, smirking.

Anderson thought about this a moment before his face morphed into one of smugness. Sergeant Donovan was also highly amused by the brunette's comment and nodded her approval. Artimes threw an apologetic look over her shoulder at Sherlock, clearly apologizing for their uncouth behavior. The detective sent her small smile, telling her that he didn't mind. Her eyes softened and she smiled slightly in return.

After a few more pleasantries passed between the girls and Donovan, who was remaining outside, the group entered the building. They were soon set upon by Detective Inspector Lestrade, who for a moment was completely ignorant of the arrival of the detective and the army doctor.

"Hey girls. Sorry for calling you away from dinner." He apologized then noticed Sherlock and John standing a short distance from the girls, "Bullocks. What are you two doing here?"

"They're with us." Melody answered sliding a pair of latex gloves on, snapping the material against her wrists.

"But…" Lestrade started not liking this at all.

"You heard Mels. They're with us." Artimes interrupted also putting on the latex gloves, though a little less dramatically than her friend.

The detective inspector looked at Artimes and she smiled softly at him, a pleading look in her sapphire eyes. He crumbled in seconds and sighed heavily. It would appear that his mystery woman had done this before and it had a high success rate at that.

"Where are we?" Melody asked smirking slightly at her friend's way with people before getting down to business.

"Follow me." Lestrade replied his tone resigned.

The girls grinned conspiratorially at each other before following the pouting detective inspector. Sherlock and John trailed behind, the detective wondering just who and what these women were to have such sway over the employees of New Scotland Yard. Anderson stayed behind and glared at the detective's and army doctor's backs. The consultant detective was going to get to the bottom of the mystery of Artz and her highly intriguing best mate.

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Lady Artz: That's it for Chapter Three: Baker vs. Cannon! Not much was changed but I did add in a few bits here and there. The dialogue did remain the same though. Leave tons and tons of reviews and keep a lookout for Chapter Four: The Mysterious Artz! Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 4: The Mysterious Artz

Lady Artz: Hey there, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon! Welcome back to Flames of Darkness! How are you liking the changes thus far? I will also be modifying a bit of Melody's personality since I am no longer basing the character on my former sociopathic friend who has not spoken to me for over a year. Still one can hope. Anyways, I'll be adding in a bit more of my friend, Anna, to make Miss Melody Frost just a tiny bit more approachable. Thus far she is just an ice cube with a block of ice for a heart. Add in a bit of Anna and I think she'll be closer to a slushie than a solid block of ice.

Anyways, I'm rambling as per the usual. sorry about that. Moving on. Much love and immense gratitude to all those who have faved, followed, and reviewed this story as well as all of my other ones as well. I thank you very much for your support and ask that you continue to do so.

I really should stop talking now. This is what happens when you don't get enough sleep and exhaustion sets in! I can't go to sleep too soon or I'll be late for work tomorrow! Gack! I hate my life! Why must real life always interfere with my virtual life?!

No, really. I'm shutting up now. Maybe not quite. I still have to say this. The game is on and so is the chapter!

I think I'm done now...yep, I'm done...or am I? *Anna walks up behind Lady Artz and knocks her out*

Anna: Please enjoy Chapter Four of Flames of Darkness. *drags Lady Artz away*

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Chapter Four: The Mysterious Artz

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The girls entered the room first and Melody immediately got to work examining the body on the floor. Artimes stood off to the left side watching her friend work. Sherlock and John stood off to the right side and the detective began his observation of his mystery woman.

It was obvious that the brown haired one was the detective out of the two. She was very intelligent and was making similar deductions to his own, proving she was a genius with very keen observational skills. Artimes's involvement with Melody, however, did not make much sense. John had his military training and his medical knowledge, both were excellent assets for solving crimes. She seemed to have a way with people, but anyone could accomplish the same thing. She had shown no signs of an advanced mind or any particular skill set. How did she fit into the equation?

He watched her as she glanced around the room, seemingly searching for something. She frowned slightly when she didn't find what she was supposedly looking for. She glanced at the back wall, her eyes narrowing slightly in concentration. He looked at the back wall himself, finding nothing worthy of noting. It was simply a wall, so why did she seem so interested in it?

She took the time to look at the other walls carefully then she returned her gaze to the back wall, her face scrunching up slightly in confusion and her head tilting to the side. What was so damn important about an ordinary wall? She shook her head, doubting herself and disregarding whatever thought process she had been following.

She turned her focus back to the body on the floor, her sapphire eyes distant. She tried to keep her gaze on the female detective, but her blue orbs flitted between the back wall and her friend several times. Melody stopped mid deduction when she noticed Artimes fidgeting and twitching slightly in irritation. Something was clearly bothering the ginger haired woman, but what?

"Artz." Melody said standing up.

Artimes looked at her friend a moment. She shook her head and looked away towards the open doorway. Sherlock realized that she doubted whatever abilities she had and was looking for an escape. He highly doubted that Melody would allow her such an opportunity. She seemed to _indulge_ the ginger haired woman almost constantly. It was somewhat annoying.

"Artz." The female detective said again, her voice soft and kind.

The ginger haired woman looked at her friend, uncertainty shining in those sapphire orbs. The brunette smiled softly and nodded her head, showing her trust in the blue eyed woman. Artimes looked towards the back wall again and Melody followed her gaze. The red head walked slowly over to the wall and ran her right hand along its smooth surface, closing her eyes a moment. A few seconds passed, no more than five or six at the most.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked to the right side of the wall where the wallpaper was peeling slightly, her gaze determined and absolutely sure. She quickly went to the right side of the room and started pulling at the wallpaper, straining to tear it from the adhesive still holding it in place. Sherlock, before he could really stop himself, walked across the room and started pulling at the wallpaper slightly above her head, lending his assistance.

"John, get the left side." The detective ordered pointing to the other corner where the wallpaper was also pealing away.

The consultant detective wasn't sure what Artimes had figured out but it was important to her. She had gone to the trouble of convincing her brown haired friend to allow them into the crime scene, so the least he could do was help her just this once to return the favor. He hated owing anyone and he wasn't about to start now. The army doctor, along with the female detective, moved to the left side of the back wall and together they ripped off the wallpaper.

No one expected to be hit by the sudden foul stench of rotting flesh nor did they expect the clearly battered and tortured corpse of a young woman to be embedded into a small but well ventilated cubby hole. Sherlock glanced away from the body and towards the silent ginger. How had she known? Even he had not noticed anything wrong with the back wall.

He looked back at the hole, his mind taking in all the facts. The vents would have allowed the gases produced by decomposition to escape and not cause any deviations to the wallpaper. The smell would have been easily attributed to the body on the floor and not to the body hidden behind the wall. Logically speaking, there was no physical evidence that would lead to the discovery of the body.

He looked back at the still silent ginger once more. How could she have possibly have known? It didn't make any rational sense. He inwardly growled before forcing his mind away from the mysterious ginger and back to more important matters, like the dual homicide that was currently begging to be solved. He didn't have time for this odd woman and he would be better off if she wasn't around. She was very distracting to say the least and he didn't like anything distracting him from such a fascinating case. His mystery woman had to go.

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Lady Artz: Tada! Chapter 4: The Mysterious Artz is complete! There was also some changes in this chapter as well. Half tempted to have you guys do 'Guess the Differences' for D&D and FoD, but I'll be kind and get on with the editing. Leave tons and tons of reviews. Be on the lookout for Chapter 5: The Protector. It's going to be very interesting indeed. *grins like the Cheshire cat* Stay Tuned!


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